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Monday, 21 March 2011

Lime & White Chocolate Genoise - We Should Cocoa 7

Perhaps I'm a little sad, but I do get quite excited as I await with anticipation to find out what Chele will choose when it's her turn for We Should Cocoa. This month, she's come up with a corker: lime, one of my favourite flavours.

So many choices - should I do lime and dark chocolate tarts, my old favourite cheesecake or .....? In the end I adapted a recipe from my newest acquisition; I really must stop browsing in book shops, it does my purse and book shelves no good at all! Not having a television, I don't get to see many cookery programmes. However, I was lured by Craig of We Grow Our Own and Mark McKellier to watch Lorraine Pascale's, Baking Made Easy on iPlayer. I watched the whole lot and made a couple of the recipes with excellent results. So, when I happened to see her book on sale, I just couldn't resist.

I had already got my eye on her Mojito Genoise, so when friends invited themselves over for lunch, I knew exactly what I was going to make and true to form, I'd get chocolate in there in somehow! This is how I did it:

Grated the zest from 1 large lime

Simmered 2.5 oz of light muscovado sugar with 1 fl oz water, 1 fl oz grapa (meant to be rum, but I didn't have any of that) and the juice from the lime for about three minutes until syrup slightly thickened.

Took off the heat, added the lime zest and a couple of sprigs of mint (just about showing in the garden).

Put the lid on the pan and left to infuse.

Buttered the sides and lined the bottom of a 19cm spring form tin (I didn't have a small enough or deep enough silicone mould or I would have used that).

Melted 4oz unsalted butter and left to cool a little.

Placed a mixing bowl over a pan of hot water and beat 6 eggs (2 duck + 4 chicken) and 9oz caster sugar together with electric beaters for a good five minutes.

Took the bowl off the pan and continued to beat for a further few minutes until the mixture was pale and thick and had more than tripled in volume.

Poured the butter down the side of the cake bowl so as not to deflate the eggs and folded it in as gently as I could.

Folded in 9oz sifted flour (6oz white, 3oz wholemeal) again as lightly as I could.

Poured the mixture into the tin and baked at 180C for 40 minutes, covering the top of the tin with foil for the last 10 minutes so as not to brown the top too much.

Left to cool for 10 minutes then turned out onto a rack to cool completely.

Melted 100g white chocolate (G&B).

Creamed 3 oz unsalted butter with 4oz icing sugar and the zest from a further lime until all well incorporated.

Beat in the juice from half a lime.

Beat in the melted chocolate.

Cut the cake in half and liberally brushed each cut side with the syrup.

Spread some of the buttercream over one side and placed the other side on top so that the cut edges were sandwiched back together again.

Spread the rest of the buttercream over the top of the cake and around the sides.

Decorated with wafer daisies as spring was in the air.

This cake was decidedly on the faffy side, but well worth the effort. The syrup smelt divine and scented the whole house for hours. The cake rose beautifully and cut easily without leaving too many crumbs. I loved the colour of the green tinged buttercream which, thanks to the lime, was divine. Despite not being fond of overly sweet confections I could quite easily have eaten the whole bowl. Wisely I restrained myself. The cake itself was delicious and the lime syrup was worth the extra effort - watch out lemon drizzle cake!

really nice one choclette... you're not sad at all as I also can't wait to find out the next ingredient... it's such fun!... I suppose because you set the challenge you only get the excitement only every other month...anyhoo... a lovely cake you've made there.. x

LOVE the surprise guest ingredient of mint - just perfect. This looks beautiful and reminds me I must look to see if Lorraine Pascal's show is on iTunes (and then somehow convince my husband that he'd like to watch it!)